Hi. I’ve never really posted anything to this site before bit I’ve visited regularly over the last five years. I’m just completing a short film which in a very distant and abstract way was inspired by my admiration for the Panzer Dragoon series.?
As with PD, It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world, long after the demise of a vast civilisation. As in PD, the inhabitants of the world know little about its origin. It’s just foggier, wetter and more British than the PD universe.
For many practical and narrative reasons, The relationship between boy and dragon evolved into a relationship between boy and a flying machine.?
Panzer dragoon references were heavily used in the costume design process.
I took inspiration from the way the games used Panzereze, to adjust the language in my film to help make the world more believable.?
The final film will have almost no obvious parallels with the Panzer Dragoon, yet the PD world influenced almost every aspect at a very early stage. I just wanted to share this to let you know that even this long after its release, the Panzer Dragoon series still relevant and influencing artists across the globe. Thank you for keeping its world alive for people like me to reference and draw inspiration from. I hope you like the little trailer and hopefully the final film when I post it soon.
(it won’t let me publish a URL for some reason. I’ll post it as a reply (or you can google ‘Skyborn trailer’ to see it)
Jamie
That looks amazing SkyRider, it’s great to see that Panzer Dragoon influenced so many of the aspects of the movie. Solo, I’m sure we could post a news article about this on TWOTA?
Welcome SkyRider. I will check this out later.
That sounds like a good idea.
That would be great. Thanks for the welcomes
I just watched the trailer, SkyRider. Looks interesting. Do you plan to release it in downloadable form?
Hey welcome matey. I just hope that we can do PD the justice it deserves. We’re going to keep the memory alive that’s for sure.
It will eventually be released in downloadable form, but unfortunately not for several months as many film festivals frustratingly require exclusivity and wont screen something that’s available on the net.
The film Just had its first screening at the National Film Theatre in London and went down really well. It seemed to make quite a few people cry which was a really great thing to see happen.
I thought while I’m here that I would mention a bit about why I first fell in love with the Panzer Dragoon series. I have read a lot on the forums about people discovering the series through Zwei or Saga or Orta etc, but it wasnt the games that got me it was the cut scenes.
When I was a kid I wanted a Saturn but my parents wouldn’t get me one. I wanted it because I had a marketing VHS that showed game footage and cutscenes from titles such as Clockwork knight and Panzer Dragoon.
The panzer dragoon exert on the VHS blew me away! I had never seen CG animation before, and the world it depicted was unlike anything I’d ever encountered. Hunters with crossbows riding on strange beasts (i wouldn’t know they were called Coolias for years) being overtaken by an oared, flying battleship. It was breathtaking, inspiring in me a lifelong love of distant post-apocalyptic worlds with the same discrepancies in technology as crossbows and battleships.
The dragon duel was amazing and i think the Sky Rider getting shot was the first time I’d ever seen an animated character die. I particularly loved the shot where Kyle and Lagi fly off and pass over the two hunters in the canyon.
The gameplay preview was also impressive and the music made a lasting impression.
My parents never did fork out for a Saturn (not that I blame them) and it was more than a decade before I came across Panzer dragoon again in the form of Orta for the 360. The think that persuaded me to buy it was the promise of the original game included as an extra.
So I bought Orta, loved it. Then bought a Saturn of ebay and got Ein, Zwei and Saga and loved them too. I have found them a hugely rewarding series to follow, but all in all the original has to be my favourite because that cutscene made me yearn to play it for so many years.
I wonder if anyone else came to Panzer Dragoon this way? Anyone else get that VHS? I can’t remember how I came to have it.
Good to hear the first screening went down well! The story of how you discovered the games is indeed an interesting read. Personally I actually only started playing the games with the release of Panzer Dragoon Orta, which goes to show how every single one of the games managed to draw in their own share of fans (who usually end up getting the other games as well). Whether it’s the artwork, cutscenes or the storyline, Panzer Dragoon has certainly inspired a lot of people around the world despite being a relatively unknown gaming franchise. I’m not sure if you already signed our petition: http://panzerdragoonrevival.com/Petition? I think a short version of your story would really fit in the comments there 
EDIT: I can’t say I know that VHS you mentioned. Have you tried searching for it on Youtube?
[quote=“SkyRider”]When I was a kid I wanted a Saturn but my parents wouldn’t get me one. I wanted it because I had a marketing VHS that showed game footage and cutscenes from titles such as Clockwork knight and Panzer Dragoon…
I wonder if anyone else came to Panzer Dragoon this way? Anyone else get that VHS? I can’t remember how I came to have it.[/quote]
That was my very first introduction to Sega Saturn, and PD. You can still find the original video on YouTube:
Sega Saturn Promo
They sure did make some wacky promotional videos in the 90s!
